Dear AWS partners,
The National Weather Service has advised us that the current heat wave will extend through this Sunday, June 23rd with heat indexes that could reach 100 degrees.
We are asking that all service provider organizations reach out to their most at-risk clients to keep them healthy by taking the following steps:
Identify your clients who are at highest risk for heat-related illnesses based on lack of access to or unwillingness to use air conditioning AND health risks.
- Those who are at greater risk include older adults, those who are obese, those with chronic cardiovascular or respiratory disease, serious mental health, cognitive, or developmental disorders that impair judgment or self-care, those taking medications that can impair thermoregulation, those who drink heavily or use illicit drugs, and those who are unable to communicate being hot or uncomfortable.
Encourage clients to use of air conditioning
If at-risk individuals do not have air conditioning, discuss other Cool Options available in NYC during periods of extreme heat. Spending even a few hours in an air-conditioned environment can be beneficial. Help them make a plan for how they will get to a friend, neighbor, or relative’s house, a library, shopping mall, or a cooling center in their neighborhood (call 311, TTY: 212-504-4115, or visit nyc.gov/beattheheat for more information).
Use the AWS resource Heat Tips for Service providers. This document provides more information on how to create an outreach plan and how to recognize and treat the signs of heat related illness.
Thank you all that you do to keep our most vulnerable New Yorkers safe.